Gauhati HC's Alarm Over Land Allotment Misplaced

The Gauhati High Court's sharp remarks last week over the allotment of 3,000 bighas of land (roughly 4 square kilometres) to Mahabal Cement Private Limited in Dima Hasao district have sparked a heated debate.

- PROSENJIT NATH

The court, while hearing petitions from residents alleging eviction, expressed disbelief at the size of the allotment, with Justice Kumar Medhi Sanjay exclaiming, "3,000 bighas! What is going on? Is this some kind of joke or what?" The bench further asked the state government and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to produce records of the decision, highlighting the constitutional sensitivities of a Sixth Schedule tribal district and the ecological fragility of Umrangso, where the land lies. On its face, the court's concern seems legitimate.

Yet, once the broader industrial and economic context is examined, the assessment looks alarmist and, indeed, misplaced.

Why 3,000 Bighas is the industry standard, not extraordinary

The number $3,000 bighas' appears shocking only when stripped of context. Cement plants are unlike ordinary factories; they cannot function without captive limestone mines. For sustained production over decades, companies require guaranteed access to mineral reserves, often spread across hundreds of hectares.

Take Himachal Pradesh, for example. There, the government allotted 324 hectares, around 2,500 bighas, for a cement plant producing 5,000 metric tonnes per day. Mahabal Cement's proposed project in Assam comes with an Rs 11,000 crore investment. Such a scale demands land security of comparable or even larger magnitude. In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, too, leases exceeding 300-400 hectares are common.

Seen against this backdrop, the 3,000 bigha allotment in Dima Hasao is not extraordinary at all. It is consistent with industry practice. Without such a scale, a cement factory of this investment size would be unviable from the outset.

LESS THAN 0.1% OF DIMA HASAO